


Tribe

by Heartsprout (graygryphon)



Series: Feral Hunters AU [2]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Angst, Blind!Ray, Confusion, Feral Hunters AU, Injury, Language Barrier, Minecraft, Miscommunication, Multi, Past Relationship(s), minecraft au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-03
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-08-12 18:38:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7945033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/graygryphon/pseuds/Heartsprout
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael settled in well to the new life he built to be with Gavin</p><p>The new language comes easy to him and he has found where he fits into the dynamic of the Hunters</p><p>Only someone he thought to be long dead returned in a very-much-alive state</p><p>Someone who could throw off the balance of his new and still blossoming relationship</p><p>They both need him and he needs them both; so how does he choose?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lookout

Michael let out a soft sigh, smiling as he propped himself up on an elbow to lean over Gavin and press a tender kiss to his mate’s cheek

The lad stirred gently but didn’t wake, snuggling into the blankets and soft pelts more

Michael took in a delicious breath of fresh air as he swung open the door of their shared dwelling, feeling the warm dawn sun rays catch on his cheeks and bead in his eyelashes

One step at a time he ascended the watch tower in the centre of the camp, spiralling around the soaring stone structure to the platform at the top.

He sat on the wooden bench, settling into his morning shift of scanning the surroundings for any straggling mobs or stray groups of not-so-friendly people.

They were also expecting the wandering merchant Jeremy to be passing through some time in the next few days, so keeping the area clear for him was also done by the morning watchman

He watched the clouds pass, almost close enough to touch, and tracked a passing pack of wolves in search of a meal to take back to their pups.

They didn’t pass close enough to concern him though, and they quickly moved on in their hunting

It was a calm easy morning, and he soon heard the others beginning to rise and start their days, waving down at Ryan who gave an awkward gesture in return before heading off to collect some materials from the forest.

He soon heard footsteps climbing the stairs, and then Gavin popped his head up through the trap door, eyes creased with a grin

“Morning Mogar!”

“Why did you climb all the way up here?” Michael chuckled “I was going to be coming down soon since everyone is up now”

“I like the view from up here” Gavin grinned, sitting on the bench beside Michael “plus no one can eavesdrop when we get cheeky”

“You want to mate right now?” Michael asked, looking around despite no one else being up this high

“You never know” Gavin winked, and Michael chuckled and pulled him closer

They both looked up sharply at the shrill noise that cut through the air, coming from a distant part of the forest

“Was that a scream?” Gavin asked as they moved closer to the rail and looked out to see if there was any sight of the source

“A woman” Michael said, narrowing his eyes to try see better.

There was another shout and the echoing sound of a wolf howling

The pack he had seen earlier

“The wolves are attacking someone!” Michael gasped, quickly moving to the trap door and skipping the stairs two at a time as he descended as fast as possible

Jack and Geoff were standing outside their houses, looking into the trees confused and then over to the two lads as they reached the ground and approached quickly

“What was that?” Geoff asked

“There was a wolf pack early this morning; I think they are attacking a woman” Michael said urgently

“How many were there?” Jack asked

“At least four adults and some year ones”

“Yearlings?” Geoff asked “they are still pretty dangerous; we need to go help the woman”

“I’ll get the horses” Jack said, all of them nodding as they quickly dispersed to collect their weapons and gear.

Michael took up his diamond sword and dagger, Gavin hooking his bow over his shoulder and grabbing up his quiver as they returned to when Jack had their horses waiting, Michael climbing up onto his stead and helping Gavin up behind him

Ray was standing outside his and Ryan’s dwelling now, listening intently to the forest

“A few miles that way” he pointed “move fast”

They rode quickly into the trees

-

They could hear the scrap as they drew closer, the sounds of a female’s grunts and wolves snapping and snarling.

She sounded strong, fighting them back well enough based on their yelps every few moments

The sound began to reverb less through the trees as they were almost upon them, and Michael felt Gavin's arms around his middle tighten slightly with nerves

The trees broke suddenly into a clearing, the small collection of wolves surrounding a female human dressed in red and carrying a war hammer

The wolves all spooked at the sudden arrival of three horses and four other humans, regrouping before deciding to try their luck elsewhere and scurrying into the trees.

They dismounted quickly, Jack and Geoff moving quickly over to the female who had dropped to her knees with exhaustion, clothes torn and deep bites in her flesh

But Michael had frozen, gaze locked on her long blonde hair and her attire reminiscent of a firebird

“Mogar?” came Gavin's confused voice from beside him, the two gents also looking quizzically at him where they knelt beside the woman

And then she looked up and her jaw hung open slightly

“Michael?” she asked, disbelieving her own eyes

She spoke in _clan_

“Lindsay” he breathed back, slipping into the familiar tongue

Her stunned look turned into a wide grin and eyes brimming with tears, pushing to her feet and staggering over to him to fling her arms around him

He caught her as exhaustion took the strength from her legs, both of them sinking to their knees as she held him tight and shivered slightly with her sobs or joy

His eyes were still wide and staring, barely able to comprehend that she was actually there in his arms

“I thought you were dead” he breathed, barely whispering the words in clan

She pulled back to take in his face, grinning as she chuckled

“I thought you had been killed too!” she said, cradling his jaw in her hands

And then their lips were pressed together, insistent and filled with the sweet taste of their reunion

He felt a deep rumble in his chest, gripping her shirt in his hands as her familiar scent filled his nose, a flavour he thought he would never find again

They pulled apart and were just clinging desperately to each other

And then Michael heard the small noise of Gavin letting out a held breath behind him

He pulled back enough to turn and look at Gavin, both of their faces caught in stunned shock

“I’m so glad I found you” Lindsay sighed wearily into his shoulder, Michael turning back into time to see her expression go blank as she passed out and went lax in his arms

“Lindsay!” he gasped urgently, laying her down and shaking her shoulders to try rouse her

The two gents were at his side then

“She’s just exhausted; she needs time to recover” Jack reassured, fishing a simple health potion from his bag and letting a few drips fall into her mouth

“We need to get her back to camp” Geoff said, Michael nodding numbly as Geoff scooped her into his arms, taking her over to Jack’s horse, the miner mounting and then helping Geoff lift her onto the saddle in front of him, supporting her as he turned and began to head back to camp.

Geoff also mounted his horse, giving Michael and Gavin a small glance before heading off after Jack

Michael turned to his mate, Gavin still watching him was his wide eyed gaze

“Gavin” Michael breathed

“She was clan too…” Gavin said, finally blinking and stiff posture cracking slightly

Michael nodded

“We were from the same tribe” Michael said, the common language feeling weird on his tongue for an unknown reason

“We were promised to be married once”


	2. Promised

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the super long wait between chapters; i've been starting project after project, and by time 9:30 rolls around i was too tired to sit and write
> 
> but lucky for you guys I've hit a drawing block, so writing is takings it's place for a wee while
> 
> the plan is to spend more time writing now which i hope is good news
> 
> a short chapter but the next will be longer
> 
> go forth

Michael found Gavin later, sitting behind Ray’s dwelling.

It felt weird to return to the hay and awning, and even weirder to sit down beside his mate and feel like they were strangers again

He was usually pretty good at understanding Gavin’s expression behind his face coverings, but he couldn’t read anything on the lad's face at that moment as he sat with legs drawn up and arms looped around his knees

“Sorry for being weird” came Gavin's quiet voice unexpectedly, and Michael felt like his heart had been squeezed “I guess it just caught me off guard”

_Seeing you two kiss_

_Seeing who should have been your mate_

“No Gavin; _I’m_ sorry” Michael sighed “I was just so shocked to see her again; I had thought she was dead”

Gavin looked up slightly, eyes still un-expressing and unreadable. michael looked down at his hands

“Not long before we met… I had been living with my small tribe. We weren’t many, but we were strong and proud of our clan heritage”

Michael paused

“There was an attack one night. A group of selfish villagers from a settlement nearby. We were all separated as we scattered from the villagers, and everything I heard afterwards was about how many of my tribe had been killed”

“You thought she had been one of them” Gavin said, Michael nodding.

“It was impossible to go back and check, and no way to get a message to anyone that might have survived” he continued, trailing off for a long moment

“We had been promised as mates. Our soul creatures matched and we got on well”

Gavin frowned slightly

“Soul creatures?” he asked

Michael reached up and touched his hood

“Bear and fire bird” he said “chosen from the sun or moon a clan member is born under”

Gavin bobbed his head in understanding

“So what now?” he asked “Now that you guys found each other…”

Michael sighed again, a weary and heavy exhale

“I don’t know” he said, adding quickly “it was so long ago that we had been promised, and I have chosen you as my mate and I don’t intend to go back on that”

A pause

“But Lindsay? She is clan. We grew up together and have fought side by side. I don’t want her to leave my life again, but I don’t know if she would want to stay here. Clan tribes don’t stay put long; often spending no longer than a month at one campsite before moving on”

Michael chewed his lip as all the ways Lindsay’s arrival could be good or bad for the way he had constructed his new life around him

Gavin's arm linking through his brought him back, tense shoulders relaxing as the lad rested his head on Michael’s shoulder

“I don’t want to lose you, Mogar, but I don’t want you to lose this piece of your old life that you finally got back”

Michael nuzzled Gavin’s hood, drawing in the scent of the other man

“Me too”


	3. Energy

“I tried looking for you; I spent weeks trying to hunt you down, and then getting any information I could about anyone matching your description” Lindsay said, gently tearing a leaf along its veins distractedly “I never found anything”

“I tried to stay on the down low” Michael said “I didn’t want any of the villagers to try finish what they started”

It felt like visiting an old fond camp site when she smiled

“Yeah, that was my plan too more or less, without impeding my search”

“And you found others?”

“Yeah; mama sein and Adam. I travelled with them for a time, but when mama passed away Adam joined a traveling merchant party” she said, eyes wandering into a memory “he wanted to feel like he belonged somewhere again”

“He’ll never be alone; so much food got caught in his beard I’m sure he can make friends with the fungus” Michael quipped

Lindsay erupted with laughter, Michael finding it infectious and impossible not to join in on

“God; I missed you so much, Michael” she giggled as she calmed down “I missed your humour”

“I missed you too” he smiled, playing with the border of her dress absently “It’s nice to taste this language as an actual conversation again”

“You learnt a new language huh” she grinned, letting her mutilated leaf float off down the river and picking up another “you going to abandon your bear soul next?”

He looked up sharply

“Never” he cut out “I’d never let our clan die in me, I’m never going to let that part of me go”

She winced at the pain in his tone

“I’m sorry”

“No, _I_ am” he said, a knot in his gut from the sad tone in her voice “I’ve worked hard to make my life fit here, and I guess I was a little worried I was having to set aside so much of who we were to match this new life”

She had a sympathetic look

“It must have been hard being alone; how long was it before you joined this camp?”

“A few moons, not all that long, and then I met these people”

_And then I was their captive_

“How did you communicate if they didn’t speak clan?” she asked

“I knew some of their language, and I’ve picked up more since then” he said “it took some time till we were… fully understood to each other” he said, looking away slightly

She nodded a few times, pondering

“And when did you and the boom mob man become mates?”

Michael felt a shiver run up his spine that he managed to supress

“Gavin. He was the first to really connect with me here. He was kind and it wasn’t long before I realised I didn’t just want to be his friend” Michael said, looking out across to the other bank of the river so he didn’t have to see what expressions were passing over her face.

A moment of silence

“He does seem nice, I’m glad you are happy with him”

Michael looked back at her sharply, a look of surprise on his face

“You aren’t…”

“Upset?” she asked, followed by a light hearted laugh “Michael, we were separated for over two sun and star cycles; I’m not mad that you found a mate in that time, it would be stupid of me to think you held out for a probably-dead person”

He was relived, joining as she chuckled

“I was afraid you would feel betrayed” he sighed, the knot of tension slipping away

“You have a great ass, but I was one of only three suitable partners in our tribe; we didn’t exactly get to pick each other from a giant pool of people”

Michael frowned

“What do you mean?”

Lindsay rolled her eyes fondly

“If given enough options, I know you might not have picked me. We were best friends, but I didn’t _expect_ you to be in love with me”

Michael took up her hand so quickly is caught her off guard

“Lindsay; I did _not_ just choose you because of how limited the ‘pool’ was, or because of soul creatures or anything. I loved you, I was so excited when you agreed to be my promised mate, and it wouldn’t have mattered how big the tribe was, and even though i'm mated to gavin now it doesn't erase how much I care about you” he declared, holding her gaze

She looked shocked, and then cracked into a smile, laughing at his stunned look of confusion

“I know, dick head, I was just messing with you. I have a great ass too and I know it” she chuckled, Michael snorting and rolling his eyes fondly “It’s just nice to hear it out loud how much of a catch I am”

“You suck” he sighed, stretching his legs out of their crossed position

“C’mon; we should head back to your camp. You can introduce me to your mate properly” she said, standing and offering a hand to yank him to his feet

“It’s gonna be easy, considering you both speak all the same languages” he said “oh wait” he added to his sarcastic comment

“So you can translate” she laughed, dropping her fourth decimated leaf into the icy water

-

As it turns out Michael wasn’t such a bad translator, only struggling with 98% of the phrasing rather than the expected 100%

Gavin had apparently picked up on some clan words and phrases from when Michael had spoken it over their time together, so it was a bit muddled but still workable

“So you two grew up together? What was Mogar like as a kid” Gavin asked, admiring the artful design and construction of Lindsay’s outfit

“He wants to know what I was like as a cub” Michael rolled his eyes fondly at Gavin. He was always asking how much of a mischief maker Michael had been

“You were a little asshole; you always buried my comb and wouldn’t tell me where it was unless I gave you one of my shine stones”

“I was great, she said she used to love how I would give her my emeralds for her collection”

“I don’t believe _you_ for some reason” Gavin grinned at Michael “and what was it like growing up in such a small community?”

“He’s asking what it was like to live in such a small tribe”

“Not bad I guess, it was nice and personal, unlike some crowd settlements I’ve seen”

“She prefers it to cities because it’s, like, it’s more connected? I can’t think of the word”

“I get it, it’s got more of a close feel to it”

“Ooh, ask Gavin why he’s dressed like a boom mob, and how he eats if his face is covered”

“They can be moved if needed, but he prefers them up, and it’s because his tribe collected the boom dust”

“What did she ask?”

“She’s asking about your coverings”

“You said that in clan”

“She’s asking about your coverings”

“Oh, they made us look more trustworthy to the creepers, it made it less hazardous to collect the gunpowder”

“What did he say?”

“What I said, and also that it made the boom mob less scared of them”

“Is that why it covers his mouth? Because the booms don’t have lips and stuff so it made them less confused?”

“I don’t know, I think they all had different covering designs”

“You said that in his language, what did you say?”

“I think I’m getting a migraine” Michael said, flopping back off the bench and landing on the ground while the other two laughed

“Sorry Mogar” Gavin grinned “I don’t think you’ve been speaking common long enough to qualify for this job”

“You’re doing a lot better than I would” Lindsay snickered “we can carry on later if you want”

Michael just nodded, glad they were both getting along but still mourning for his brain function

Across the camp the others were arriving back from a trip out to gather supplies, even Ray having gone with them for a change of soundscape

Lindsay watched, her expression seeming a little daunted by the four men astride their horses, but Michael pressed his leg against hers as he got back up on the bench and he felt the muscles in her leg relax a little

“Hey guys; find much good stuff?” gavin asked

Geoff made a general noise of neutrality, popping the stopper out of a bottle of alcohol before he had even put both feet on the ground

“Enough to keep us going. The mushrooms are growing slowly but a lightning strike took a tree down and left its apples untouched so that’s a plus”

“Ryan and Ray kept sneaking away to make out so that didn’t help” Jack said, nodding at Lindsay in greeting.

She nodded back, familiar with Jack since he had been the one to help her get back on her feet after the wolf pack tried to make her their dinner

“We weren’t making out _or_ sneaking around” Ryan frowned unamused at Jack

“And that sheep is lying if it said otherwise” Ray said, nudging Ryan playfully with his hip as he headed over to their dwelling while the horses were returned to their pen

Lindsay had been watching Ryan, studying his appearance with a measuring look

“That pattern of his sash… is that from that clan?” she asked Michael quietly, despite no one understanding her words if they had heard

“The mad clan? I’m not actually sure” he replied, consciously making sure to speak in clan “I thought the same thing when I first met him, but I’ve never asked. He’s an enigma mostly”

She still watched him as he took his satchel off and checked through it, unaware of her gaze

“He has a weird energy…” she said absently, Michael’s lips pursing slightly as he watched the look in her eyes

“Anyway, I’m getting hungry, you guys want to get something to eat?” Gavin asked, looking between the two clan people

“I could definitely go for some steak” he said, then asked Lindsay “you want to get some food?”

“I thought you’d never ask; I could eat a whole steer by myself” she laughed

“I’ll take that as a yes” Gavin smiled, linking hand with Michael's as they headed away towards the small hut they kept all the food and cooking equipment in, Lindsay now distracted by the idea of a meal, and missing the way Ryan was now watching her


	4. Scrolls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a few things
> 
> ~ I keep getting busy and forgetting to work on my fics. sorry my poor readers
> 
> ~ i started writing this chapter a few days ago, and then AO3 ate it and this version is way more lackluster, so again my appologies. its really weak in my opinion, but its just putting a few things in places that i need them for later
> 
> ~ I got a new laptop that doesn't have Microsoft word on it yet, so this chapter was written in word pad without spellcheck, and it's 11:30pm and i'm too tired to do more than capitalize names. a third round of appologies
> 
> ~ ????
> 
> ~ profit
> 
> go forth

Barely a few days had passed before he began to see the signs of her restlessness; her need to keep travleing like the way of their clan

It was only because of Michael's inability to leave for so long that he became accustomed to staying at the one camp

And then becuase he had bonded with gavin and their developing matehood

but Lindsay didn't have a cursed collar keeping her trapped in the hunter camp, and even though she was OK with being around the other hunters, it was clear there was still a seperation from them that was more than the language barrier

he couldn't place what, but it was clear that he would not be enough to keep her interests here

"I still don't know how you managed it"

Michael looked up, blinking dumbly at her

"what?"

"I said I still don't know how you managed to learn their language. I mean; I undertsand some of it, but its so weird" lindsay said, michael watching the river water run down

over her bust and belly as she rung her long hair

"it's not that hard" michael said, dunking his head one more time and then shaking out his hair like a pup

Gavin squawked where he was sitting on the bank

"Mogar, you're getting me all wet!"

"see? it sounds so..." lindsay trailed off, pulling a face but not knowing what to relate it to

the clan tongue had a much more rough and rumbly sound to it, closer to an animals range of noises than most languages he had heard. where as the common tongue the hunters all spoke was shaped a lot more; their tongues used more vigorously to make much more contrasting sounds for each sylable

"you get the hang of it" he chuckled, following lindsay as she waded out of the river and over to their waiting clothes

most of his clan clothes had been either worn out from use, or torn up during the cave in incident, so now the majority of his outfit was typical of the other hunters

all he had left was his bear pelt hood, his belt, and his gloves

so seeing Lindsay's clothing, made of traditional clan materials and sewing techniques, made him a little home sick. 

he was loosing more of his clan heritage than he realised

"better?" Gavin asked with a grin pinching his eyes, standing and putting his shoes back on

"yeah; much better" michael grinned back, pressing a quick kiss to the bridge of Gavin's nose

Gavin giggled a little, busying himself with straightening his coverings to hide his blushing

on the way back to the camp Lindsay decided to try teach Gavin some more clan, pointing at various things and then naming them in clan, and waiting till the lad pronounced it right before moving onto the next thing.

It reminded Michael of how ray had taught him common, smiling a little to himself as he followed behind the two as they passed the words back and forward with varying success

despite the circumstances, he remembered the lessons with Ray as happy memories.

as they got closer to camp, the repetitive clanging of metal striking metal rang around the trees, which eventually broke to reveal the camp to them, and Geoff and Jack standing by an anvil and working on tools

Geoff was strong; muscled arms flexing as he raised the heavy hammer and then brought it down, the sharp note pitching off the dwellings.

He was getting tired though; sweat beading on his forehead and dripping down his nose, Jack chuckling as he held the materials on the anvil still

"getting tired, old man?"

"shut up, Jack"

"need another break?"

"don't make me accidentally hit your hand instead of the metal, dick"

"hey Geoff!"

the two gents looked up as Gavin called to them, Geoff grinning lopsidedly and Jack just giving a small nod of his head

"where did you guys go?" Geoff asked, leaning on the anvil with one hand, the hammer in his other hanging at his side

"Mogar and Lindsay wanted to go bathe in the river" Gavin said as they came to stand beside Geoff, the lad looking over their work

"why would you bother doing that? you're just going to get dirty again" Geoff said, shucking up one of his old and worn shoulder pieces up 

"you're gross, Geoff" Jack sighed, rolling his eyes

"'s true" Geoff shrugged, preparing to lift the hammer again 

Michael noticed Lindsay was interested too, looking intently at the anvil and what Geoff was doing 

"what is the big metal for?" she asked

"it's an anvil, for forming tools and metal thing" Michael said "anvil" he added, speaking it's name in common

Geoff looked over

"never seen one before?" he asked her despite the language gap, and then offered her the hammer

"give it a go"

Lindsay looked at him, measuring his intention, before her curiosity and eagerness won as she took the tool, taking Geoff's position and allowing him to point out the part of the smelted iron she needed to strike

she took to it like a duck to water; her warrior strength and endurance making the task of shaping the metal a piece of cake

before Geoff could comprehend it she had shaped out a pretty decent blade, rough but with great form for a first forge

"dang, that's better than half the shit you make, Geoff" Jack chuckled, turning it over in his hands as he appraised its shape and quality

Geoff huffed at him, but then turned to Mogar with a devious grin

"are you sure you can't convince her to stay?"

"he's saying you did a great job and he wants you to hang around" Mogar grinned at Lindsay, who posed and set the hammer on her shoulder

"it's actually really fun; It's _way_ different to how we made our diamond daggers" she smiled, taking her work back from Jack

she was about to say something else when the sound of a door opening reached them, Ryan stepping out of his dwelling with a few rolls of paper tucked under his arm and a quill held between his teeth

Michael's eyebrows pinched as Lindsay had the same reaction to him like she had had a few days ago; standing stock still and watching him, a strange measuring look in her eyes. he couldn't figure it out, reaching over and touching her shoulder softly

"Linds?"

her frozen posture seemed to crack a little, head turning more towards Michael but eyes still on Ryan as he wandered unaware over to Ray's dwelling and the man tending to his roses

"I don't know what it is about him..." she trailed off, Geoff and Jack exchanging strange looks as all they saw was her watching Ryan and talking to Michael

"everything OK, Mogar?" Gavin asked, watching her with a raised brow

Michael looked at Gavin, shrugging a little

Lindsay let out a brisk sigh, handing the hammer back to Geoff and her creation to Jack

"i'm tired" was all she said, giving Michael a reserved smile before heading away towards his and Gavin's dwelling, in which they had set up a cot for her

Gavin nudged Michael with his shoulder a little, Michael taking his hand

"is she OK?" the lad asked, giving Michael a small look of concern

"I don't know; she keeps giving Ryan weird looks" Michael said "I don't know"

"as long as it wasn't something I said" Jack shrugged, Gavin huffing a laugh at him before they headed off to their dwelling too 


	5. Cruel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super angst
> 
> go forth

Ryan lifted his head slightly as he became aware he was no longer the only one in his dwelling

He knew who it was, as only ray would dare enter without knocking

And the person behind him was female

“Your stealth is to be commended” he said, swivelling on his stool to face her

She stood just inside the doorway, watching him with regard

“I didn’t even hear the door open” he added, despite having the same language struggle as he had had with Mogar when he first arrived

She glanced around his dwelling, taking in the towering shelves of books and roll after roll of parchment stacked in pyramids around the place

He couldn’t tell her immediate intentions, only that she was trying to figure out what she thought of him. He was not unaware she had been keeping an eye on him

“I’m not a foe” he spoke to her, Lindsay’s eyes returning to him “I’m not sure what Mogar has shared with you about our past, but I’m not a threat”

Her eyebrows dipped slightly, eyes narrowing as she put together his words in her mind with her limited understanding

“Who you?” she asked

It was his turn to be confused

“I’m afraid I don’t understand”

She frowned a little more, understanding she hadn’t been clear enough

“Who… _are_ …you” she said, indicating with her hand to her own solar plexus. She was referring to his spirit

“A wanderer” he said, rubbing his temple wearily “someone who has been robbed, and someone who has taken”

She just listened, brow remaining creased with concentration

“Why are you cautious of me?”

She frowned a little more

“En…ner…gy” she sounded out, indicating to her core again

He nodded, understanding

“You can feel the scar on my spirit, huh? The mark of how my clan twisted themselves” he said, running his hand down his tartan sash. Her expression confirmed that she had about his clan, and now could be sure he was part of it

“I haven’t used their magic in a long time, but scars take time to heal” he said, sighing and turning back to his desk and roll of parchment

“Ryan”

He looked over his shoulder back at her. At her softened expression, her look of knowing what his words had explained

“Ryan… have scar… Ryan… heal…ing” she said

He smiled, nodding

“It’s a work in progress”

She nodded, and was turning to leave through the front door of his dwelling, when something caught her eye

She paused, frowning curiously at an item on one of his shelves

He swivelled, following her gaze but not being able to determine what in particular had her interest

She moved over to it, reaching out slightly towards one of the many items

Her sudden recoil jolted Ryan too; her hand snatching away like it had been scalded. Her expression was one of horror, eyes wide as they turned to Ryan for the merest moment before she was out the door and gone

Ryan stood stock frozen for a second, trying to figure out what had happened and why could possibly have made her react so fearfully

He moved over to the shelf, and realised right as he almost stood on it that what she had touched had been knocked onto the ground

He swallowed thickly

As he took in the collar lying on the floor

-

Michael and Gavin were sitting by the fire pit, just relaxing as Michael kept the fish turning as they cooked

He noticed Gavin look up with a confused expression, turning to see Lindsay hurrying over

“Hey Lindsay, what’s-”

“Michael!” she cut in, dropping next to him and pushing his hood away roughly, holding his jaw to examine his throat and neck

“Lindsay, what the heck are you-”

“You were hurt! I felt it, the energy on that strap was _evil_ and it felt of your energy too!”

He caught her hands, her frantic gaze catching his

“Lindsay; what are you talking about?” he asked, eyebrows furrowing at her distress

“In Ryan’s home! I went to speak with him, and I saw something on a shelf, and when I touched it…” she trailed off to catch her breath “it was tainted with bad energy”

“What’s going on, Mogar?” Gavin asked, Michael not answering him yet

“Why do you keep going on about energy?”

“Mama Sein taught me how to sense and identify the energy given off by living things and the magic they control. I’ve been sensing a strange, dark energy from Ryan, but he explained it from his past and his clan. But he had this leather strap on a shelf, and its energy was telling me of how it had once hurt you” she said, speaking quickly

The leather strap

The collar he had once been controlled by

He felt a cold chill run up his spine

“I’m ok, Lindsay, it was something that happened moons ago”

“But why does Ryan have it? Did he save you from it?”

Michael hesitated

“Kind of, like I said it was something that happened in the past”

She looked confused and overwhelmed, eyebrows pinched deeply

“What do you mean kind of? Why did…” she trailed off suddenly, eyebrows furrowing impossibly deeper as she thought “wait, was… was he the one who owned the strap?”

Michael tried to hide the way he swallowed a bubble of anxiety

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean!” she spoke sharply, confusion bordering on anger “is he the one that hurt you with it, is the energy I can feel from it his doing?”

Michael was frozen, mouth hanging open a little as he failed to know what words he could say that would fix this

He didn’t know how to convince her she was wrong, he didn’t know what lie to spin to keep her unaware of the struggle he and Ryan had once had

She was always too smart to fall for his lies

“I… I didn’t exactly get on well with Ryan when we first met. We didn’t see eye to eye” Michael said, still frozen as he watched her expression

It was frozen for a moment too, before the fury began to burn in his eyes

“He hurt you” she said, barely breathing a whisper. It made Michaels skin ripple

“No, I tried to steal from them, and they thought-”

“They?!” she balked “you mean it wasn’t just Ryan?!”

Michael felt another shiver, muscles locking as he realised how badly he was messing up

Gavin, not knowing what was going on in the clan discussion, stood and came over to Michael cautiously

His movement made Lindsay’s eyes lock on him

“Was he part of it too?! What happened!” she rumbled, Gavin freezing as he realised her anger was turning towards him

Michael stood quickly, moving to stand in front of Gavin defensively

“No; he never hurt me”

“then what happened!” she snapped, standing too with fists clenched at her sides “why are you still here if these people caused you so much pain and strife!”

“Because where else do I go!” he snapped back “we were left with nothing, I was left with no one, and yes the beginning off my life here was hellish, but it was all a misunderstanding!”

She looked at him incredulously

“Who the hell does that to someone over a misunderstanding?! I see now why you were able to learn their language and get used to not roaming: it’s because you had no choice!” she said, a pained look sparking in her eyes “How could they treat you like that…”

Michael felt Gavin hold on to his arm, pressing close. He would be so confused

“All we’ve ever known in this life is cruelty, Lindsay. Yes they were cruel and apathetic; but they realised what they had been doing, they realised that just because I was different to them, it didn’t mean I was less than them” Michael said “it took time but they started to _actually_ see and understand me. And by then I had bonded with Gavin and I couldn’t leave him behind”

She looked up, taking in Gavin and the way he held onto Michael's arm. Then she looked at him

“Well I can’t stay” she said, Michael feeling his heart crack inside his chest “you are my clan and my oldest friend, but these people are not mine, and I can’t be near them”

Michael felt a bubble rise in his throat; feeling like his world was being torn in two

“Lindsay…I can’t… I can’t lose you again” he breathed, struggling to hold back his fear and making his voice squeak

She looked like it was breaking her apart too

“It’s like you said, _Mogar_ , this life is cruel”

She turned, hesitating only a brief second before headed away to their dwelling

Michael felt numb, knees shaking and soon dumping him to the dirt. He could hear Gavin beside him, his confused and worried words and his hands shaking Michael’s shoulder

But everything felt like he was hearing it though water, distant and suffocating


	6. Gesture

That evening Michael found himself standing in the centre of camp, watching Lindsay strapping up the last of her supplies and feeling useless and unable to figure out what to say to selvedge the situation

“I don’t know what to do to fix this” he spoke quietly, Gavin rubbing his arm soothingly

“I don’t think we have to” Gavin said

Michael’s eyebrows pinched a little, but as he was about to ask Gavin what he meant Lindsay stood and turned to him

“I’m sorry, Michael” she said, heaving a sigh that matched the tension in her eyes “we both could tell this place was never going to be the place I settled down to. I’ll leave your past where it is; I’ve known you long enough that if you are happy here then I shouldn’t be concerned” her small smile made Michael’s chest tick with happiness, but it was still amongst longing

“Thank you, Lindsay, for trusting me, even if it seems misguided” he said, giving her a small grin back

“I’m glad that you found happiness, but this is not where I’ll find mine” she said, pausing and sighing again.

There was a long moment of silence as they tried to think of what to say

Eventually he broke it

“Will I ever see you again?”

She chewed her lip

“I can’t be certain. It depends if I remember how to find this place again, from wherever I travel to” she said, looking around the camp

“I don’t want this to be the last goodbye…” Michael said, voice pinching slightly from emotion, Gavin feeling it and hugging him arm a little tighter

Lindsay looked at the lad

“Me either, but even if it is; you are in good hands” she said, smiling warmly at Gavin who shared the expression

But then Gavin’s eyes looked to the distance, Lindsay turning and Michael leaning over a little to follow his gaze

At the edge of the camp two figures were approaching; one short with vibrant hair and many potion bottles looped to his body and limbs with rope, and the other immensely tall and dressed in various shades of red

“Who are they?” Lindsay asked

Gavin’s smile grew

“Jeremy and Matt”

Michael looked at him

“I thought they weren’t supposed to be here for another day?”

Gavin gave him a wink before heading over to greet them, leaving Michael confused and curious what his mate was up to

“It looks like we’re interrupting something” Jeremy smiled, following Gavin over

“no; you’re just on time” Gavin grinned, turning to Michael and Lindsay

“Mogar, I’m going to need you to translate as best as you can” he said, before turning to Lindsay

“When you decided you had to leave, I watched Mogar fear, and the pain of all the years you had been separated, coming back to the surface. You mean so much to him, and he means so much to me, so I made a plan”

He turned to gesture to Jeremy

“This is Lil J; he’s a wandering potion seller. He used to travel alone, and then was joined by Matt, who is amazing at construction. Together they make the money they need to stay fed and have a bed for the nights. However; one of the skills they don’t have covered is metal working”

“Yesterday you tried it with Geoff and Jack, and when Jack was impressed with your skill I started hatching a plan. A plan to find you a place on their roaming party”

“They travel a long distance each year, but its actually a big loop with this camp as one of the stop offs. I sent a message to Jeremy for him to try get here sooner than tomorrow, and to consider letting you travel with them”

“We are more than happy for you to join us” Jeremy added, Matt nodding with a smile

“This way you can find the freedom of travel your clan is built on, but you can also return to see Mogar when the loop connects back here” Gavin continued, looking between the clans people “so what do you think?”

Both of them were watching him in awe, Michael having managed to explain it all on the fly.

She turned to him

“You didn’t know about this?” she asked. He shook his head, looking back at Gavin

“You thought of all this, and made it happen, for me?” he asked

“For both of you” Gavin smiled, reaching out and caressing Michael’s cheek tenderly “you are such a big part in each other’s lives and in mine too”

Lindsay moved forward unexpectedly, dragging Gavin in to an encompassing hug. He was a little caught off guard, but then broke in a grin as he hugged her back

“Gavin… thank you” she said, pronunciation a little stronger already despite the emotional quaver in her voice

“We are family, no matter how deep down you have to go to find it” he said, the two of them breaking away.

The other hunters began to collect now, greeting Jeremy while Ryan did some potions dealings

“I don’t know how I’m going to communicate with them” Lindsay said to Michael, listening to the common language they spoke

“Oh yeah” he said, turning to Gavin “how will they speak to each other?”

It was ray who answered him, matt standing beside him

“That will be less difficult than you think. Matt is mute; he communicates with a visual language of gestures and postures” he said “He has a scroll that explains most of it with pictures and a few common languages”

Matt reached into his small satchel, producing the scroll and handing it to Lindsay. She uncurled it and scanned over it

“This has east-achevian on it; I can read that” she said, looking up at Michael “I picked it up during a stay there with mama Sein and Adam. I think I can learn this gesture language quickly”

“Jeremy knows the visual language too” Ray added “so if she can learn it they will be able to communicate without issue”

Everything was falling into place, and Michael could feel a heavy weight of dread lift off his shoulders

Eventually the hunters went back to their day’s tasks, and the nomads stood by the clearing edge with the two clan’s people and the boom mob boy

The sun was casting golden glow across the clouds, and it made the colours in Lindsay’s outfit appear to be set alight

“I guess this is goodbye” Michael said, but it was not burdened by a _forever_

“Until we meet again” Lindsay said, eyes catching his in their gaze

Their lips met again, but it was a fond farewell, a contrast to the desperate reunion they had shared barely a week ago

“I will see you again too” she grinned, giving Gavin another hug

“I’ll try to learn more clan from Mogar before you get back” he said, both speaking with other words but understanding the single meaning

As the nomads and the fire bird headed away down the path, Lindsay looked back one last time before heading out of view, a small wave and a small smile that could fill the whole forest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who commented and kudos'd, and an even bigger thank you to the people who were so patient with my uploading schedule and the lack thereof
> 
> There is a wee chance i might be adding a epilogue to this, but it's not 100% guarantee yet
> 
> cheers


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